Sheet-metal pipe



(No Model.)

H. L. GATES.

SHEET METAL PIPE. No. 410,409. Patented Sept. s, 1889.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. GATES, OF MILIVAUKEE, \VISCONSIN.

SHEET-METAL PIPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,409, dated September 3, 1889.

Application filed May 14, 1889. Serial No. 309,610. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY L. GATES, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Pipes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to that class of sheetmetal pipes that have the joints thereof partially finished at the factory to allow of their being packed in a comparatively small space for transportation or storage and afterward completed by the dealer or consumer; and the objects of my invention are to cheapen the manufacture of such pipe; do away with any extraneous means, devices, or special tools for completing the joints; conceal from View the means by which the opposing longitudinal edges of said joints are locked together, and give said pipe the general appearance of that style of pipe in which the singly-folded edges of its joints are interlocked and haminered down to form a seam.

My invention therefore consists in certain peculiarities of construction, to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompan ying drawings, and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a per spective view of a portion of a pipe-joint prior to having one longitudinal edge thereof folded, the dots representing the lines of fold; Fig. 2, a similar view illustrating a portion of the finished joint, with parts broken away to illustrate the manner in which the opposing longitudinal edges are locked together; Fig. 3, a transverse section of a portion of the pipejointbefore its longitudinal edges are united. Fig. l is a similar view showing the edges locked together; and Fig. 5, a plan view of what is shown in the preceding figure, certain of the parts being broken away for the purpose of better illustration.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a portion of a single sheet or blank for a sheet-metal pipe-joint constructed according to my invention. One longitudinal edge B of the blank A is provided with one or more lateral tongues O, and in case more than one of the latter are employed they are arranged at suitable intervals, according to the length of the pipe-joint to be made from said blank. The other longitudinal edge D of the blank is left plain, and adjacent to the latter edge the metal is cut out to form a slot or slots E, for engagement with the tongue or tongues O, that project from the opposite edge of said blank. 'By any suitable means the edge D of the blank A is given a double fold Z) c on the lines represented by dots in Fig. 1, to form a groove or seat F for the reception of the opposing edge B, the outer-fold I) being laid close against the body of the blank, and the slot or slots E coming in the inner fold c at the rear of said groove or seat, as is best illustrated in Fig. 3. The blank A is curled or bent by any suitable means into such forinin cross-section as may be desired, and in its unfinished condition the pipe-joint will have its longitudinal edges sprung apart, as is also best illustrated in Fig. 3. By compressing the unfinished pipe-joint the tongue or tongues G will pass through the slot or slots E, in line therewith,and the edge B will seat itself in the groove F, as is best illustrated in Fig. 4. Now, by bending back the tongue or tongues C, as shown in the same figure, the edge B will be firmly locked in the groove F, thus finishing the pipe-joint.

By the foregoing description it will be readily seen that the means for locking the opposing edges of the pipe-joint are concealed and that the juncture of said edges from end to end presents what in appearance is a seam similar to that in the most ordinary form of sheet-metal pipe, while at the same time I do away with any separate devices, such as rivets, bolts, or other fasteners extraneous of the plpe.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A finished blank for pipe, that consists of a sheet of metal having one longitudinal edge thereof provided with one or more lateral tongues and the opposing edge double folded to form an outwardly-open groove throughout its length and slotted at the rear of the groove coincident with said tongue or tongues, substantially as set forth.

2. A sheet-metal pipe-joint having one 1011- gitudinal edge thereof folded to form an outwardly-open groove throughout its length, have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee,

a slot or slots cut out of the metal at the rear in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisof the groove, the opposing edge seated in cousin, in the presence of two Witnesses.

said groove, and a tongue or tongues projected HENRY L. GATES. from the latter edge through said slot or Witnesses: slots and bent back, substantially as set forth. N. E. OLIPHANT,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I WILLIAM KLUG. 

